Lucknow: Welcoming Centre’s decision to create Telangana state, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Wednesday reiterated her demand for division of Uttar Pradesh into four separate states.

Mayawati wants Uttar Pradesh divided into four smaller units comprising Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Awadh Pradesh and Paschim Pradesh.

She had first made the demand just before assembly elections in 2012. Though her political gamble failed to give her desired result at that time, the former chief minister seems to be still convinced about the saleability of the idea and would look to use the issue to galvanise support in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

“We have always supported smaller states,” BSP chief Mayawati said here at a press conference. She said Uttar Pradesh should be divided into four smaller states — Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Awadh Pradesh and Pashchim Pradesh.

“When this population is divided between four states, development will increase,” she said.

“Ministers in central government who hail from Uttar Pradesh should build pressure on the central government for formation of these states,” she added.

The BSP chief further said that during her tenure as the state’s chief minister, her government had passed the proposal in this regard.

However, the Samajwadi Party remains staunchly opposed the idea

The demand for new states have once again gained momentum after the decision to formulate Telangana as the 29th state of the country was taken on Tuesday by UPA allies and was cleared by the Congress Working Committee.